Pat Sajak was joined by a very special co-host on the latest episode of “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune”: his daughter, Maggie.
Maggie Sajak filled in for Vanna White, who was taking a spin at the wheel herself as a contestant on the show. It was the second time that Maggie, who is a social correspondent for “Wheel of Fortune,” had taken over letter-lighting duties; the first time was when White filled in as host while Pat recovered from surgery in 2019. She first appeared on the show at age 1 with her father and has been no stranger to the set since then.
Posting a photo of herself and White on Twitter after the episode aired on May 10, Maggie wrote that it was “an honor” filling in for the longtime co-host, who has been manning the puzzle board for 40 years.
It was an HONOR filling in for you tonight @TheVannaWhite! And congrats on raising $30,000 for St. Jude!
pic.twitter.com/gIRlPLJ5Et
— Maggie Sajak (@MaggieSajak) May 11, 2023
White was joined by the current “Jeopardy!” hosts, “The Big Bang Theory” actor Mayim Bialik and “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings, as noted in the below Twitter post for “Celebrity Wheel.”
White won $30,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Bialik won $62,200 for the Mental Wealth Alliance, while Jennings took home $72,800 for the Equal Justice Initiative.
#Jeopardy! meets #CelebrityWheelOfFortune!
Ultimate Host Night on #CelebrityWheelOfFortune starts NOW on ABC! @TheVannaWhite @MissMayim @KenJennings pic.twitter.com/qFREqL1je2
— Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (@celebritywof) May 11, 2023
Sajak and White have been part of the current version of “Wheel of Fortune” since it began in 1983, but the show itself has been airing in some form since 1975. Sajak has hosted since 1981.
The two have starred in thousands of episodes of the longest-running syndicated game show in the country, with its 7,000th episode airing in 2019. The show has earned Sajak three Emmy awards, while both he and White also have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Speaking to USA Today about the 7,000th episode, Sajak called the show “the best job in television,” while White said coming to set is just like seeing your family.
“It is work, but it’s almost like coming to your second family because most of the people that work here have been working on the show for 20-plus years, so we really are one big happy family,” she said.
And with Maggie filling in for White, it really was a family affair. In a post-show interview for the show’s YouTube channel, the proud dad complemented his daughter’s work:
There’s been some chatter about the younger Sajak taking her dad’s place someday. His contract is up in 2024, though the show has been renewed through 2028. We’ll have to wait and see what happens!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
